2015 Controlled Spend/No Spend

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 2 NSD - 3 CSD - 2 Spend (0 EO)


C got gas. I paid for Pop Tart's gymnastics class, and I still get to call yesterday an NSD.
Today is already a spend. I ran to one of the convenience stores on campus to pick up something for a staff member, as I knew today would be a hard day for her.
I think this means that I am in now way going to meet my goal of having only 7 spends. But that's okay. It's okay for it to be hard and for my goals to be something I actually have to work for.

[forwardwego]

Update 1 NSD 3 CSD No eating out as of January 8

hello reeneejune and mizbear ,nice to meet you

nice work Happy prose , maybe you could set yourself some guidelines on your beach days, and then staying inside that could earn a CSD?

[Happy prose]

3NSD; 3CSD; 1SD.  I didn't even go anywhere other than work, but managed to spend $10. The annual superbowl box pool came around today. I bought two boxes, so there goes $10. Who knows, maybe I'll win.

[Happy prose]

forwardwego I like that idea about the beach! Maybe as long as I don't buy any food or drinks there, it's a CSD. It will be hard because there's a shop with the best iced coffee.

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 2 NSD - 3 CSD - 3 Spend (0 EO)


Other than me spending at the campus convenience store, we spent nothing yesterday. Still a spend, but not an expensive one.

Trying to decide if I'll count mine and C's lunch out tomorrow against one of our eating outs. We have a groupon for a Brazilian steak house that we bought months ago, so most of the money has already been spent. I think if we get out of there for less than $15, I won't count it. If it comes to more than $15, it will count against our eating out. Either way it will be a controlled spend, because this is something we have planned on.

Happy prose - Maybe allow yourself one iced coffee a week as part of your controlled spend. In my mind, planned spending is controlled spending.

[moneysquirrel]

Update: 7 NSDs and 2 CSDs

Too cold to do anything but school and home.  I also had outside duty this week and with the wind from the lake blowing I was turning into an ice teacher on duty.  Remember that we are not used to any type of cold weather so even our winter clothes are not as weather ready as in other parts of the country.  I am pretty good at layering and except for the 30 minutes on duty was quite comfortable.
 
Renee and mizbear -- Welcome back! 

[Happy prose]

3NSD; 4CSD; 1SD. Today was another CSD. With my coupons (and my list) I only spent $7.10 at the store for a bunch of stuff. Next week I have to chip in at work for a retirement party/gift, so I'll have another SD coming up. 

[forwardwego]

Update 2 NSD 3 CSD No eating out as of January 9


the cold weather has me home inside...not spending

[dakota4600]

Yesterday was a spend, I had a bad day. My office was freezing and my speaker on my desk wore out. So I ended up ordering a heater and a new speaker from my computer. And then ordered lunch. Today was a CS. We ordered pizza for dinner instead of going out. Tomorrow will be a spend, I'm picking up a new game for our Wii since Mini-d got a great report card!

[reeneejune]

I think I'm going to try for 15 NSD with what's left of the month and see how that goes.  4 days a week I have work and school, which doesn't leave much opportunity for spending, though I've been bad about buying a snack on my way to class rather than packing something.  Then on the weekends, I generally stay home, and I need to focus on homework and cleaning/organizing for the next couple of weeks prior to the move.

I could use some good juju this next week though.  One of my roommates decided to be a-holes about getting notice to move and announced that they wouldn't be paying January rent until the 16th... which has me nervous that they won't actually pay.  We coughed up the funds to cover rent so we weren't late, I just have this bad feeling.  We did sign papers on the new place today, and I have the movers scheduled.  Yay for no more roommates! (Soon)

[forwardwego]

good job controlled spenders 

yea for good grades, and leaving behind irresponsible roommates!!

yesterday we saw Beach Boys in concert,so.much.fun!

so it was a spend, but worth it


Update 2 NSD 3 CSD  2 eating out as of January 10

[Happy prose]

3NSD; 6CSD; 1SD. Stuck to my little list at the stores, but didn't need too much this week. I'm not a huge fan of the Shoprite can-can sales.

[3catslady]

3catslady:  6 NSD, 5 CSD, 0 eating out days.

Not a bad start for the new year.  

[dakota4600]

Lets see 5ns, 2cs.
Not too bad. Got Christmas put away. DH picked up another shelving unit yesterday.. DS liked his new game. Hope everyone had a good weekend

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 2 NSD - 6 CSD - 3 Spend (1 EO)

Spent quite a bit of money this weekend, but it was all planned.
Our lunch at the Brazilian Steakhouse ended up at $20 and some change, so I counted it as an eating out. $11 of that was tip, but really, who can complain about that. The garlic steak and parmesan pork were both amazing. In the end $50 for the two of us (the $20 we spend this weekend plus the $30 we spent buying the groupon back in Oct), for what otherwise would have been $70-80. That, and we didn't really feel the need for dinner on Saturday night.

Yesterday, I got my hair done. I go in every 3 months, at a cost of about $53/month ($158 total). There's a part of me that cringes at my vanity of getting my hair colored, but I justify it to myself that I am no longer getting my nails done on a regular basis, which was close to the same cost, just in smaller, more frequent, amounts.

Everyone is doing so great with the start of the year. I've got a mini-goal for myself that is to make it through this entire work week without a spend day.

[forwardwego]

Update 2 NSD 6 CSD 2 eating out as of January 13



shanendoah my hair costs about the same as yours, but it's my one regular luxury. I'm in my mid 50's, and feel like keeping the gray covered may help me look younger, and definitely makes me feel better. 

[reeneejune]

I'm at 4 NSD counting today. I'm off to math class, and the fiance is in charge of dinner tonight.

[mizbear]

I am not doing much with counting NSD/CSD this month. I am totally re-vamping my budget this month- and have some big news about it...

I have managed to finish the 9 month ticket to work thing and am off of food stamps. I am back on the couponing wagon with a vengeance. Things are really looking up. I am still going to school and will be done next spring. I also have looked at buying several houses that I found as foreclosures but haven't managed to find one I can get financing approved for- yet.

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 2 NSD - 6 CSD - 5 Spend (2 EO)

Failed the mini-goal only hours after I posted it.
I had to deposit a check, and I always grab myself a little cash when I do ($25). That's not a spend. What was a spend was that I swung into the campus convenience store. I was looking for a small pair of nail clippers because I had badly broken a nail and wanted to clean that up. They didn't have any. Instead of just walking out of the store, I bought myself some cheese and some laffy taffy. Spend.
Then yesterday, forgot to take anything out for dinner. Decided that we had a couple different deals going on at Red Robin, so we should go out to dinner. Spend and eating out.

[forwardwego]

Update 2 NSD 7 CSD 2 eating out as of January 14


Almost an NSD but I spent $1 on a bottle of gatorade 

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 3 NSD - 6 CSD - 5 Spend (2 EO)


It took a lot of willpower not to go to the vending machine and buy myself a coke yesterday, but I managed, and finally got another NSD.

Today, my office is cold, and it's going to take all my willpower not to walk over into the student union building and buy myself something hot for lunch. (I have soup for lunch, so I'll have something warm regardless, I'll still just be eating it in my cold office.)

[moneysquirrel]

Update 12 NSDs and 2 CSDs

Just a quick pop=in to say hello and to update my numbers. My new SD was due to a yoga class that I did not plan for in advance.  It will become part of the budget and my routine and will be planned for beginning with the next paycheck.  This was the first one after almost two years and was a last minute decision. Therefore a SD as I really missed having it. 

[forwardwego]

Update 2 NSD 9 CSD 2 eating out as of January 16


You are going strong moneysquirrel,


well done on the NSD shanendoah!!

Hello mizbear! Kudos on your progress and your determination!!

My January got off to a rocky start but I'm holding steady with the CSD's now 

ETA: going to try to buy all my necessary items for the weekend today for a CSD
then work for 2 NSD's for Sat and Sun

[reeneejune]

I'm at 6 NSD.  Today was a spend, financial aid money came in so I paid a bunch of bills and picked up a couple of things.  Tomorrow will be a spend as well, going to the movies with my sister, grocery shopping, and hitting the semi-annual sale for underwear.  Then Sunday and Monday will be back to NSD, or at least that's the plan.

Irresponsible roommates have still not paid rent yet.  Today was supposed to be the day, but instead I got an email early this morning saying that their paycheck wasn't direct deposited and that they expected to get the check in the mail today or tomorrow.  So considering it's a 3-day weekend, I won't see the money until Tuesday at this point.  And if I still don't have the money then, I'm giving them 3 days to get the heck out. 

[ses]

3/31 CSD  14/31 NSD

Wouldn't you know that as soon as the weather gets above freezing I get a nasty head cold.  At least I am not even tempted to go out and shop.  The sad thing is that each of my spend days were to eat out.  Two of them were planning sessions for organizations I belong to that I couldn't avoid if I didn't want to find myself and officer or committee head.  Maybe I can do better from now on.

[forwardwego]

ses Good job doing whatever it takes to avoid being elected in absentia 


reeneejune i'll be glad when the irresponsible roommates are out of there. For me in similar situations, sometimes the answer is to take a stand, sometimes it's kill them with kindness, sometimes it's endure. But this will pass and next month will be much more peaceful...priceless.



moneysquirrel wow, you are a good example for me.

more shoutouts are due, but I have a project should have been done yesterday, so gonna get on it, and hope to be back later

in general, controlled spenders 

[forwardwego]

Update 2 NSD 12 CSD 2 eating out as of January 19

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 3 NSD - 11 CSD - 5 Spend (2 EO)


Overall, we did very little spending (well, with the exception of my massage on Saturday morning) this weekend, even though we did spend some every day.

I have come to expect that I will not meet my agressive NSD goals for this month, but it will help me set more progressive goals for next month.

[moneysquirrel]

Update 14 NSDs and 4 CSDs

Just another quick pop-in to update numbers.  

Shen -- Remember this is a process and as you built things into your budget the more nsd/csd you have. My budget is very detailed and it helps me keep focus. Anything that I have planned for and saved for counts for csds.  Monthly routine bills, food and gas do not count.  Extra items added to the grocery basket that are not on my list causes me to have a SD.

forwardwego -- because of the techniques listed above and my weird work routine the only time I really get into the stores to be tempted are weekends, holidays and the summer.  During the school year my numbers are higher than during my "free time" as I am not in the stores to be tempted.
 
See you later.

[shanendoah]

goals: 11 NSD - 13 CSD - 7 Spend (4 Eating Out)
shanendoah: 4 NSD - 12 CSD - 5 Spend (2 EO)


Just a quick numbers update. I had promised staff I would bring cupcakes for the office if the Hawks won this weekend, so I bought those on Tuesday (CSD) and apparently, Wednesday is the day I get NSDs.